• by Teresa Buyikian , July 9, 2025

QSRs may be full of meal deals to tempt customers, but it’s the speedy pick-up at coffee shops and fast-casual chains that is driving an increase in restaurant foot traffic.

The recent “How Limited Service Is Succeeding in 2025” report from foot traffic research firm Placer.ai found that while QSR foot traffic was relatively flat YoY from March 2024, coffee shop and fast-casual traffic both increased. The only “dip” in foot traffic was in February., when YoY foot traffic dropped due to inclement weather as well as 2024 being a leap year. Meanwhile, QSR have seen essentially flat YoY visitation trends since March of this year.

Placer.ai attributes the increase in coffee and fast-casual traffic to consumers’ interest in grab-and-go options for pickup, rather than dine-in. The study found that nearly 75% of all restaurant orders are taken to go. The most growth in the category was driven by an increase in short visits, defined as under 10 minutes.

Coffee leads in foot traffic, with both mid-sized and smaller chains increasing, while larger chains saw visits decrease. Brands such as Dutch Bros and Black Rock Coffee Bar increased YoY visit growth of 7.3% and 7.1%, respectively, due mostly to chain expansion, per the report. Small coffee chains were the only segment to have a slight YoY uptick in average visits per location. Larger chains,  such as Starbucks and Dunkin’,  saw visits decline by 4.5% YoY.

“Coffee’s status as an affordable indulgence may be one factor driving traffic to the category,” wrote study author Placer.ai’s Bracha Arnold. “And with consumers becoming more discerning about their disposable income, fast-casual restaurants appear to be benefiting from the quality and perceived value that many such chains offer.”

As far as fast-casual traffic goes, burgers may still reign, but Big Chicken is coming in hot as a close second for 2025. Placer.ai found that “between 2019 and 2025, chicken chains' visit share grew from 15.0% to 18.3%, at the expense of burger chains’, which fell from 62.3% to 59.8%.”